Abstract:

As the "Education for All" document, which features six goals that integrate the Dakar Agreement (Senegal), signed in 2000 (Unesco, 2001), by 2015, countries should expand early childhood care and education, universal education primary, promote learning skills and life for youth and adults, reduce illiteracy by 50%, reaching parity and gender equality and improve the quality of education. Thus, it is essential to invest in educational, scientific practices in order to eliminate existing prejudices in humanity and raise awareness about the role of science. For this, the text stressed the need to invest in initial and continuing teacher training. These demands of the world's education, especially science education, are also debated by Cachapuz et al. (2005), Aikenhead (2009) and Santos and Auler (2011), all consistent with science-technology-environment-society movement (STES education), presenting different approaches in science education over traditional education. In this paper, we focus on the continuing education of Natural Science teachers of the State Public System of Basic Education. In Brazil, following international trends, emerged the new National Curriculum Guidelines (Brazil, 2013), with assumptions and foundations for high school with social quality. So were five thematic lines proposed to build a democratic education, for exemple (a) work, science, technology and culture: dimensions of human development; and (b) environmental sustainability as a universal goal. In addition, with respect to the National Education Plan (NEP) with its 20 structural targets for guaranteeing the right to basic quality education, emphasize the goal 16 dealing with the continuing education of professionals in basic education, considering the needs, demands and contextualization of education systems (Brazil, 2014). In this context, in 2011 a continuing education Natural Sciences teacher (Biology, Physics and Chemistry) of the State Network of Basic Education in Espírito Santo State (Brazil) was held, addressing investigative experimental practices and use of non-formal education spaces. This extension project involved 320 teachers and 30 administrative teachers and education personnel, who produced collaboratively science policy proposals, culminating in the publication of Experimental Practices Book Investigative in Science Teaching in 2012. Considering the global and national trends in scenario of science education and the context of education at the national and state levels, the aim of this study was to analyze the continuing education of Natural Sciences teachers in high school context of the state of Espírito Santo, in the light of education for research and production collaborative approach involving STES education. This was a qualitative research, theoretical and empirical, type case study, planned in the light of Gil (2009). The data collected during the investigation of the continued education of teachers was analyzed in light of Bardin (2011). This program trained about 320 teachers, effective and temporary hiring State (160 teachers of Biological Sciences, 84 teachers of Physical Sciences and 96 teachers of Chemical Sciences) and over 30 technicians of state education, conducted at three centers in the cities of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, Colatina and Vitoria. The total hours of continuing education course was of 120 classroom hours, in addition to technical visits to non-formal spaces of the State of Espírito Santo.

Keywords:

STES education, continuing education, collaborative learning, science education, teacher training.